I've been wondering lately about what would've happened if Al got to talk to Gaga directly or didn't have that miscommunication with her manager. We at least know he probably would've waited until after the tour and his scheduled vacation to even start writing, but would he have released the single this early if that were indeed the case? He was kind of forced into releasing it on YouTube, so he might not have released it until maybe two weeks before the album. I asked Jim about this on facebook and this was his response.

Jim Kimo West wrote:My guess is that he would have waited a while to put it out...

Life is a bowl of three-legged salamanders swimming around in an infinite ocean of strawberry jello...

He also didn't hurt album sales. If anything, he boosted them. Releasing lead singles early to is common practice to hype up a new album. The music industry is currently in a singles market. Just look at Lady Gaga. She released Born This Way months before her album came out last week.

He's got a big rabid, loyal audience who'll buy the album regardless of when a single comes out. And some people I know will buy multiple copies of the cd to begin with.

The only loss of potential sales are of people who aren't necessarily 'big' fans or haven't bought other things he's done, new fans. And most of them will just as likely only purchase songs off iTunes or just download it illegally anyway. I'm not saying Al's super rich, as any sales go a long way for him, but ultimately he'll sell decent copies and make most of his money on tour and with merchandise.